Associations between perceived overqualification, organisational commitment and work passion of nurses: A multicentre cross-sectional study.

AIM: To investigate the associations between perceived overqualification, organisational commitment and work passion of nurses. BACKGROUND: Few studies have considered the effects of perceived overqualification and organisational commitment on work passion of nurses, especially in developing countries. METHODS: This is a multicentre cross-sectional study. A total of 4511 nurses from eight tertiary hospitals were recruited. The Scale of Perceived OverQalification (SPOQ), the Organizational Commitment Scale (OCS) and the Work Passion Scale (WPS) were used to collect the data. Hierarchical multiple regression were employed. RESULTS: Perceived overqualification and organisational commitment were the main predictors for both harmonious and obsessive passions (each p < .001). The unique effect of organisational commitment (ßharmonious  = .608, ßobsessive  = .556) on work passion were six to eight times larger than these of perceived overqualification (ßharmonious = -.079, ßobsessive = .085). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that high perceived overqualification clearly reduces nurses' harmonious passion and increases their obsessive passion, whereas high organisational commitment significantly promotes nurses' harmonious and obsessive passions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers should distinguish the different effects of perceived overqualification and organisational commitment on work passion. Effective intervention should be developed to release nurses' potential abilities and improve their organisational commitment and work passion. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100047974.

Associations between perceived overqualification, transformational leadership and burnout in nurses from intensive care units: A multicentre survey.

AIMS: To explore whether perceived overqualification increases the risk of burnout and whether transformational leadership negatively moderates this relationship. BACKGROUND: Perceived overqualification might contribute to burnout and lead to poor experience of transformational leadership, and transformational leadership might be associated with burnout. However, these relationships have not yet been confirmed. METHODS: A multicentre cross-sectional study. A total of 321 nurses from intensive care units were recruited from six tertiary hospitals. Scale of Perceived OverQualification, Transformational Leadership Questionnaire and emotional exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey were employed to collect the data. Hierarchical multiple regression and bootstrap resampling were applied to analyse the data. RESULTS: Burnout was positively associated with perceived overqualification and negatively associated with transformational leadership (each p < 0.05). Transformational leadership significantly mediated the relationship between perceived overqualification and burnout (b = -0.6389, 95% confidence interval: -0.8706, -0.4072). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that perceived overqualification and transformational leadership directly or indirectly affect burnout among nurses from intensive care units. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGERS: Personal and organizational-oriented interventions utilizing nurses' overall qualifications and implementing transformational leadership should be employed by nurse managers to alleviate burnout and promote the work performance of nurses from intensive care units.

How perceived overqualification affects radical creativity: the moderating role of supervisor-subordinate guanxi.

This study aims to investigate the effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examined the mediating role of job crafting and the moderating role of supervisor-subordinate guanxi. Through the two-wave pre-test of 312 employees, we found that the scale reliability and validity of all variables in this study were good. According to the pre-test results, we modified the expressions of some items to obtain a more concise and effective questionnaire for the formal survey, so as to ensure the conclusions more reliable. And using two-wave survey data from 1007 employees among Chinese local organizations in the formal test to examine the hypotheses. The results indicated that perceived overqualification negatively affects radical creativity, and job crafting mediates the relationship. In addition, supervisor-subordinate guanxi reduces the effect of perceived overqualification on job crafting and the indirect effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity via job crafting. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The effect of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction among immigrants: Does host national identity matter?

Overqualification is a form of person-job misfit that is common among those who reside in a foreign country. It is associated with poor work-related well-being and can inhibit full adjustment to the host society. The goal of our study is to examine the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction among immigrants. Furthermore, we investigated immigrants' host national identity as a moderator of the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction. We analysed longitudinal online survey data from 124 Italian and Spanish immigrants who migrated to Germany between 2000 and 2014. Regression analyses show that perceived overqualification is negatively associated with job satisfaction six months later. Furthermore, host national identity moderates the association between perceived overqualification and job satisfaction: low overqualification is beneficial for job satisfaction whereas high overqualification is a threat for job satisfaction, especially for immigrants who identify strongly with the host society. We do not find corresponding direct and moderating effects on career satisfaction. We conclude that indicators of acculturation, such as host national identity, are worth considering in order to understand the impact of person-job misfit on work-related well-being among immigrants.

How does perceived overqualification promote employees' creative deviance: The role of leadership emergence and job autonomy.

Inspiring the creative potential of overqualified employees can facilitate a mutually beneficial outcome for both the company and the employees. However, further investigation is required to ascertain how to stimulate the perceived overqualification of employees to carry out creative deviance. Drawing upon role theory, this study explores the impact mechanism of perceived overqualification on employee creative deviance, with leadership emergence as the mediating variable, and further examines the moderating role of job autonomy. Adopting a two-stage design, 362 valid data samples were collected from various companies, and analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results indicate a positive correlation between perceived overqualification and creative deviance. Perceived overqualification not only positively influences leadership emergence but it also indirectly affects creative deviance through leadership emergence. Furthermore, when individuals with perceived overqualification and possess a greater level of job autonomy, they are more likely to engage in creative deviant behavior. The findings contribute to understanding the mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions of employees' perceived overqualification influencing creative deviance from a positive perspective, offering valuable managerial insights for organizations.

Does Overqualification Play a Promoting or a Hindering Role? The Impact of Public Employees' Perceived Overqualification on Workplace Behaviors.

Drawing upon the conservation of resource theory, we offer a framework for understanding the mechanism underlying the effect of public employees' overqualification on their cognitive and behavioral outcomes, through both positive and negative paths. We propose that perceived overqualification elicits two subjective cognitions, namely, perceived control and psychological entitlement, which further lead to public employees' behaviors through approach (organizational citizenship behavior) and avoidance (workplace deviance behavior) tendencies. A total of 421 public employees participated in the three-stage time-lag investigation. The findings indicated that public employees' perceived overqualification is positively related to perceived control, and perceived control is positively related to organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived control completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived overqualification is positively related to psychological entitlement, and psychological entitlement is positively related to workplace deviance behavior. Psychological entitlement completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and workplace deviance behavior. This study constructed a double-edged sword model of perceived overqualification based on the public sector, discussing the influence of public employees' perceived overqualification on their workplace behaviors from the perspective of resource assessment and self-evaluation, and providing theoretical guidance for the practice of human resource management within the public sector.

Unveiling the nexus between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding: Moderated mediation analysis of job crafting and job boredom.

Purpose: Grounding on relative deprivation theory, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived overqualification (POQ) and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, this study investigated the mediating role of job boredom and the moderating effect of job crafting. Design: /Methodology/Approach: This study employs Hayes' PROCESS model to analyze data obtained from 374 employees working in the hospitality and tourism industry. Findings: The results indicate a positive relationship between POQ, job boredom, and knowledge hiding. These findings suggest that job boredom mediates the relationship between POQ and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, the study showed a moderated mediation path wherein the interaction effect of POQ and job crafting on knowledge hiding was mediated by job boredom. Research limitations/implications: Data were collected from the hospitality and tourism industry, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other sectors. Additionally, the study relied on self-reported measures, which may have resulted in a bias. Practical implications: Conduct thorough job fit assessments during the hiring process to ensure that candidates' qualifications align closely with job requirements. By matching employees' skills and experiences to their job, organizations can reduce perceived overqualification, which may lower job boredom and knowledge hiding tendencies. Originality/value: This study's focus on person-job misfits adds a new layer of insight into employee experiences in the workplace. By examining how mismatches between individuals and their roles contribute to job boredom and knowledge hiding, this study highlights the importance of aligning job responsibilities with employee skills, qualifications, and preferences.

Perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing: The role of organizational identity and psychological entitlement.

BACKGROUND: Employees' perception of being overqualified is a critical factor in influencing their knowledge sharing behavior. However previous studies have not examined the internal mechanism by which perceived overqualification affects knowledge sharing. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on social exchange theory, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing and to examine the mediating effect of organizational identity and the moderating role of psychological entitlement. METHODS: Participants were 284 full-time employees from different companies in China. They answered self-report questionnaires that assessed perceived overqualification, knowledge sharing, organizational identity, and psychological entitlement. Path analyses were conducted, and the latent moderated structural equations were used to judge the significance of the mediation and moderation. RESULTS: The results revealed that overqualified employees were less willing to share knowledge, and the mediating role of organizational identity was significant. Further, the presence of high psychological entitlement would diminish the beneficial effect of organizational identity on employee knowledge sharing. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study enrich and expand our knowledge on the relationship between overqualification and knowledge sharing and have theoretical and practical implications for promoting constructive behavior among overqualified employees.

Employee perceived overqualification and innovation performance: the roles of self-oriented perfectionism and job crafting.

Leveraging the trait activation theory, the study constructs a model featuring moderated chain mediation to explore how perceived overqualification influences employee innovation performance. After conducting two surveys with Chinese employees, this study collects 363 valid questionnaires. The findings reveal that perceived overqualification is positively related to employee innovation performance. Both self-oriented perfectionism and job crafting are partial mediators between perceived overqualification and innovation performance, and they collectively play a chain mediating role. Furthermore, independent self-construction positively moderates the link between perceived overqualification and self-oriented perfectionism, and informal status positively moderates the relationship between job crafting and employee innovation performance. Additionally, the indirect influence of perceived overqualification on employee innovation performance is moderated by independent self-construction and informal status. This study adds to the current body of literature on perceived overqualification and offers practical implications for organizations aiming to enhance innovation performance.

Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior.

Purpose: This study delves into the intricate interplay between perceived overqualification, job search behavior, psychological well-being, and proactive behavior, within two distinct and diverse work settings. Methods: Drawing upon the Person-Job Fit theory, we investigated these dynamics in two unique samples: Sample 1 encompassed corporate sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (N=409), while Sample 2 comprised IT sector workers in Pakistan (N=337). Hayes PROCESS macro were used to examine the proposed hypotheses and AMOS (Version 28) were conducted to examine model fitness. Results: In Study 1, we established a positive association between perceived overqualification and job search behavior among employees in the UAE corporate sector. Notably, this relationship was mediated by psychological well-being, suggesting that the impact of perceived overqualification on job search behavior is, in part, channeled through its effects on individuals' psychological well-being. Study 2 showed that proactive behavior exhibited a moderating effect on the negative link between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being. Specifically, employees displaying higher levels of proactive behavior demonstrated a less adverse influence of perceived overqualification on psychological well-being. Importantly, this adaptive effect of proactive behavior was found to indirectly influence job search behavior. Discussion: The findings highlight the nature of perceived overqualification in the workplace and its varying impact on employee behavior and well-being across different cultural and work settings. The mediation by psychological well-being and moderation by proactive behavior in these relationships underscores the importance of individual responses to perceived job fit issues. These insights are crucial for understanding employee behavior in diverse work environments and can inform practices for managing perceived overqualification.

Unraveling the perceived overqualification puzzle: The role of distributive justice and leader political skill in influencing knowledge sharing.

Perceived overqualification is a prevalent phenomenon in any type of organization due to overeducation and worldwide economic downturn. Despite numerous empirical examinations of such phenomenon, the impact of perceived overqualification on individual behaviors is inconsistent and inconclusive. We draw on equity theory to examine the negative effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge sharing through distributive justice. In addition, we investigate a leader's political skill as a boundary condition that influences the impact of perceived overqualification on distributive justice and subsequent knowledge sharing. Using a sample of 339 team members in South Korea, we found that perceived overqualification negatively impacts distributive justice, subsequently deteriorating employees' knowledge-sharing behaviors. Furthermore, when team leader is politically skilled, the negative impact of perceived overqualification on knowledge sharing is weakened. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Reacting to Perceived Overqualification: Uniting Strain-Based and Self-Regulatory Adjustment Reactions and the Moderating Role of Formal Work Arrangements.

Thus far, research on perceived overqualification has focused on either maladaptive, strain-based versus more adaptive, self-regulatory reactions in isolation. Following person-environment fit theory, we seek to advance this one-sided focus by uniting both types of adjustment reactions and to consider their implications for perceived person-job fit, and performance and wellbeing outcomes. In line with theory, we also examine contextual boundary conditions in the form of indicators of formal work arrangements (i.e., permanent vs. temporary employment contract and job tenure). Utilizing three-wave data from 453 employees, we found that perceived overqualification indirectly and sequentially related to decreases in task performance, organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction via anger toward employment situation and lower levels of perceived person-job fit-thus reflecting the strain-based pathway. For the self-regulatory pathway, findings did not align with our initial proposition that the positive relationship between perceived overqualification and work organization (a form of structural job crafting whereby employees improve their work processes) would be weaker among temporary employees and those with longer tenure. Instead, having a temporary employment contract or having longer job tenure resulted in a negative relationship between perceived overqualification and work organization, which further contributed to a decrease in performance and satisfaction via lower levels of perceived person-job fit. Our study highlights the demotivating role of a temporary employment contract and long job tenure for overqualified employees to reorganize their work. In discussing our findings, we point to the importance of job stage and develop recommendations for managing overqualified employees.

The Silver Lining of Perceived Overqualification: Examining the Nexus Between Perceived Overqualification, Career Self-Efficacy and Career Commitment.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate how perceived overqualification is linked to an individual's career commitment among service sector employees in China. Additionally, it sought to examine the mediating role of career self-efficacy and the moderating effect of social support. Methods: This study collected data from 441 employees using a three-wave data collection design with a two-week gap between each round. Moreover, we employed partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. Results: The findings asserted that perceived overqualification was positively associated with employee career self-efficacy and commitment. Furthermore, career self-efficacy mediated the link between perceived overqualification and career commitment. The study also demonstrated that perceived overqualification and career self-efficacy were influenced by the level of social support received, with a stronger relationship observed when social support was high. These findings highlight the value of fostering social support and career self-efficacy among coworkers to increase overqualified employees' commitment to their careers and provide valuable insights for organizations seeking to manage their talent pool effectively. Discussion: The study suggests that when employees perceive themselves as overqualified for their job, it can lead to a higher sense of career self-efficacy, which is the belief in one's ability to perform job tasks effectively. This increased self-efficacy, in turn, can lead to a greater commitment to their career. Furthermore, fostering social support and building career self-efficacy can help organizations manage their overqualified pool effectively and improve employee satisfaction and productivity.

It Is Not Bad to Be the Big Fish in a Small Pond: Revisiting the Double-Edged Sword Model of College Students' Perceived Overqualification.

School psychologists are concerned about underperforming students; however, a recent study calls attention to a group of college students who believe themselves to outperform other students: students who perceive themselves as overqualified. In this study, we revisited the double-edged sword model of college students' perceived overqualification (POQ) by untangling the mediating mechanism between POQ, learning engagement, and life satisfaction. We also tested the interactions between the growth mindset and POQ. Two questionnaire surveys were conducted and attained some different results from previous studies: (1) POQ positively predicted learning engagement via the mediation of career aspiration and performance-approach goals but not performance-avoidance goals; (2) The positive effects of POQ on career aspirations, performance-approach goals, and learning engagement were weakened by the growth mindset; (3) The relationship between POQ and life satisfaction was nonsignificant. Relative deprivation negatively mediated this relationship, while generalized self-efficacy positively mediated this relationship. These findings enriched our understanding of how POQ may affect college students' learning and well-being; in addition, we also provided initial evidence that a growth mindset is less beneficial for members of advantaged groups in academic settings. Based on our findings, we offered practical suggestions regarding POQ students in colleges.

Do Illegitimate Tasks Lead to Work Withdrawal Behavior among Generation Z Employees in China? The Role of Perceived Insider Status and Overqualification.

Generation Z employees in the workplace cause a management challenge that enterprises have recently faced. The unique characteristics of Generation Z employees necessitate an urgent update to the knowledge of organizational management. However, few studies of the literature focus on the workplace behaviors of Generation Z. This study proposes that illegitimate tasks may lead to work withdrawal behavior among Generation Z employees. Based on the equity theory model, this study constructed a moderated mediation model to explore the impact of illegitimate tasks on the work withdrawal behavior of Generation Z employees, as well as the mediating role of perceived insider status and the moderating role of perceived overqualification. The analysis of survey data from 283 Generation Z employees in China at two time points found that illegitimate tasks are positively correlated with work withdrawal behavior. At the same time, the mediating role of perceived insider status was successfully confirmed. The results also showed that perceived overqualification strengthened the effect of illegitimate tasks on work withdrawal behavior and the mediating effect of perceived insider status. This study offers new insights into the management and development of Generation Z employees and the sustainable evolution of workplace relationships from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

Perceived overqualification and deviant innovation behavior: The roles of creative self-efficacy and perceived organizational support.

Employees' perceived overqualification (POQ) is prevalent in organizations and has drawn increasing attention from both researchers and practitioners. Drawing from social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study is to extend existing understanding of the consequences of POQ by examining how and when POQ leads to deviant innovation behavior. This study hypothesizes that employees' POQ indirectly impacts deviant innovation through enhanced creative self-efficacy (CSE), and that perceived organizational support (POS) strengthens this indirect relationship. Using data collected from 286 employees in China at two time points, this study found support for our hypotheses that POQ is positively related to CSE, and that CSE mediates the relationship between POQ and deviant innovation behavior. In addition, this study found that POS moderates the relationship between POQ and CSE, as well as the indirect effect of POQ on deviant innovation behavior via CSE. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings and future research directions are discussed.

Perceived Overqualification at Work: Implications for Voice Toward Peers and Creative Performance.

Drawing on the conservation of resource theory, we examined the effect of perceived overqualification on the creative performance via voice toward peers, and how the peer group perceived overqualification moderates the relationship between perceived overqualification and creative performance. We tested this proposal using three waves of lagged data collected from 206 company employees in Shandong Province, China. The results revealed that peer group perceived overqualification moderated the indirect effects of perceived overqualification on creative performance such that there was positive indirect effect via voice toward peers when peer group perceived overqualification is high and negative indirect effect via voice toward peers when peer group perceived overqualification is low. The implications, limitations, and future directions of these findings were discussed.

The Influence of Perceived Red Tape on Public Employees' Procrastination: The Conservation of Resource Theory Perspective.

Procrastination is a prevalent phenomenon in organizations, yet limited knowledge is available on how situational antecedents influence it. Based on the conservation of resource theory, we explore how and when perceived red tape influences public sector employees' procrastination behavior. Using survey data of 751 public sector employees from China, we revealed that perceived red tape is positively associated with procrastination behavior, and role overload partially mediates the relationship between perceived red tape and procrastination behavior. Employees' perceived overqualification augments the relationship between role overload and procrastination. Further, the moderated mediation model test illuminates that the indirect effect of perceived red tape on procrastination through role overload depends on perceived overqualification, which means that higher perceived overqualification amplifies the indirect effect. Our research enriches the literature on public sector employees' procrastination behavior.

Exploring the effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding: The role of psychological capital and person-organization fit.

Individuals' knowledge hiding behavior may lead to massive economic losses to organizations, and exploring the antecedents of it has crucial relevance for mitigating its negative influences. This research aims to investigate the impact of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding by testing the mediating effect of psychological capital and the moderating effect of person-organization fit. Empirical analyses were conducted on 249 employee dataset using versions SPSS 26 and AMOS 26. Results illustrate an inverse correlation between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding behavior which is partly mediated by psychological capital and moderated by person-organization fit, implying that good organizational atmosphere that builds up individual psychological capital with better person-organization fit will allow employees to work positively to reduce knowledge hiding behavior when perceived overqualified. This study complements a small quantity of discussions on the positive impact of perceived overqualification on knowledge management and fills omissions in previous studies on the negative effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding behavior in changing surroundings.

Perceived Overqualification and Intensive Smartphone Use: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Previous studies only considered the impact of personal or environmental factors on intensive smartphone use separately, while largely ignoring the impact of person-environment (P-E) fit on it. Drawing on the P-E fit theory, we proposed that perceived overqualification (POQ), an indicator of person-job misfit, positively affects intensive smartphone use via job boredom, and affective commitment moderates this indirect effect. We examined our hypotheses using four-wave time-lag data of 450 workers from 62 teams. The results revealed that POQ raised job boredom of an individual and thus increased their intensive smartphone use. In addition, when the affective commitment was high, the indirect effect from POQ to intensive smartphone use via job boredom was weaker. The implications, limitations, and future directions of this research were discussed.